Prank (Gone wrong!)
by TheDarkestCon
Summary: One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. It resulted in the two most strict-aft officers going through a particularly... different Transformation. That practically all you need to know. I bet you didn't see that coming! Fluff/Cuteness inside! Rated T for language!
1. The failed prank

Prank gone wrong 1

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

**|•| Change of location.**

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

Chapter one

**|•|Day One: Science lab 0530**

"'Jack? Why aren't you in recharge? Slag it's 5.30 in the goddam morning!"

The inventor spun around, his indicators blinking an embarrassed pink light as he turned optic to optic with the friendly residence chief medical officer. Aka Medic of doom. Ratchet stood in the entrance of the lab, optics narrowing.

"I don't want to be hauling your overworked body into my Medbay and strapping you down to the berth! Now _get_!"

He indicated to the door as Wheeljack ex-vented. Well his new invention could wait. That night he had found out how to manufacture energon that would make onebot's age and processor increase in capacity. He named it Cybergise. Cybertronions plus Energise. Pretty crappy. But eh he didn't have time to brainstorm for ideas of what he would name it. Of course he wasn't going to use it on anybot on the Ark. Nope too risky. He was going to try it on the Dinobots. Yup his inventions needed the extra processor space. But as the words on his datapad started moving he realised that it wasn't going to work if he pushed himself.

Yeah for once he wouldn't argue with Ratchet.

"Cming... Sorry Ratch... I didn't see the time... Got too takenaway..." He staggered to the exit and realised how tired he actually was. His exhausted peds bucked as he fell facefirst in Ratchet's open arms. The CMO visible soften.

"Stupid little pit-spawn... I'll cover up for your shifts today. Go to your quarter and take the day off. No more late projects here me?"

But the inventor was already in recharge.

**|•| Outside of Lab 0600**

Prowl walked pass the north wing of the Ark. In his arms were datapads filled with orders for some science slag that Wheeljack ordered. Hopefully this time the inventor's inventions would actually work and not cause destruction to the wrong faction. The SIC vented as he pushed open the lab doors. He half expected Wheeljack to still be working on something but was glad where he saw an empty lab. As he placed the 'pad down on an obvious place on the impossibly messy desk he realised that there were something standing out from all the scattered tools and book files. There were two cubes of energon on his desk. And they were fresh too.

Energon was already close to depletion in the Ark. One fine day they would end up rationing their energon shares. Unlike in Cybertron when exposed to earth's elements and conditions energon would oxidised and turn bad. In other words it would lose the nutrient needed for a bot in that single cube. Sighing, Prowl picked the two cubes and scanned it.

They were untouched. Well. So he did what other mechs would do. He turned and poured it back into the main energon dispenser in the lab, second one from the right, making a mental note to talk to Optimus about wasting energon. Besides, Optimus was the one that gave out the rules that all untouched energon must be poured back into the nearest dispenser so as to reduce the amount of wastages right?

**|•| Outside of Lab 0800**

"The cost is clear!"

Two similar set of helms poked out from corner. The red one combed the area and gave his brother the 'thumbs up' sign. Every first day of a fortnight they would come and visit their engineer. They had an agreement. Wheeljack would had over two cubes of high-grade in return for bailing him out from Prowl and hiding his contraband chemicals away from the SIC.

It was a good deal.

"Wheeljack?" Sideswipe hissed peeping into the lab disappointed as he found it empty.

::Sides to Jazz. Slag 'Jack's not in!::

::Ah now it's time fa Plan B! Get your afts in there and get the energon yourselves. O'l 'Jack hid da high grade 'side da regula' grade. Ya see it? Second one from da right. Sorry ah'm in da middle of ma shift. Ah'm make sure Prowler doesn't catch ya. GO!::

::Copy that!::

Somehow they got Jazz on their sides. Many because he also wanted to get his servos on high-grade. In the entire Ark there were only three places to obtain the goods. Prime's office, the Medbay and the labs. However desperate they were there was no way they would barge into Prime's place. No bot wanted to get fragged in the Hatchet's domain so the Lab it was. And the prank of the week was so get the two most tightaft bots in the entire Ark to get intoxicated.

Sunstreaker watched the door as Sideswipe grabbed two empty cubes and filled it with the second dispenser from the right. Rich, high-grade tickled his olfactory sensors as he hastily stuffed the two precious cubes into his subspace.

Now it was time to beat it before anybot came.

**|•| Medbay 0930**

Ratchet hissed as his tanks grumbled for the third time. It was 8 in the morning. Time for his ration them. He grabbed the datapads in his servo, the reports for Prowl, as he headed to the rec-room.

::Ratchet to Prowl. Come in::

::Yes Ratchet?::

::I've the reports you wanted. Meet me in the rec-room in 15 minutes for morning energon?::

The medic smirked inwardly. He needed the stiff SIC to get out of his homely office to actually socialise. Too much work would make a bot an unhappy one. But not for Prowl. He would willing pull triple shift and work over-time anytime.

::Fine... Just this once. I just passed the lab again. Where's Wheeljack? I thought he was eager to collect the materials that he ordered? I just need him to sign and tick off. I supposed that he would be up by now?::

::That fragger worked till 5 in the damn morning on some energon thing-Primus knows what... He'll be up later when I see fit he should.::

::You're the medic.::

**|•| Somewhere between Medbay and Rec-room.**

"Woah! Both of them are in the rec-room now! Jazz! Jazz? Do you copy?::

::Slag yeah! Kay now do as ah say...::

**|•| Rec-room 0945**

"Hey Ratch! Hey Prowler!"

Medic and tactician turned to see Jazz and Sideswipe. Prowl narrowed his optics and Ratchet's engine rumbled.

"Yeah? What do you slaggers want?"

Jazz quirked his optic ridge and took out four cubes.

"Oh don't get your turbines in a twist. We just want to thank you for your contributions that you two have been doing for the Autobot faction that's all!" Sideswipe huffed and crossed his servos across his broad chassis.

"Ah mean if ye two dunwanna then Sides an meh can just head over to Smoke and Aid there an' talk to em..."

Prowl vented heavily and gave in.

"Fine. No tricks you two?"

"There better not be any!"

The two bot shook their helms.

**|•| Personal quarters. 1040**

Ratchet stumbled into his quarter. Helm spinning as his bondmate caught him before he could trip over his peds. Concern fluttered over the veteran's faceplate.

"Brightspark? Ye alright there?"

Ratchet gave him a crazy drunk gaze. His normal blue optics covered by a layer of mist. Without warning the medic spun around and purged his morning energon into the discharge basket in the corner. Ironhide hurried to his side. His tanks flipped as he picked up a sent from his lover.

"High grade... Ratch how many times did ah tell ye not ta go around drinkin'? "He rubbed circles in the shoulder of the shaking form as Ratchet purged again before slumping backwards. Ironhide lowered his lover with surprising gentleness onto their berth.

"Highhh... Ughh.. dizzy... Equilibrium off.."

Ironhide narrowed his optics. Ratchet never drank. And even if he did it was always a maximum of a few sips. At the rate he was purging and shaking so much he must've had at least an entire cube of strong high-grade. Too much for his sensitive tanks.

There was a reason why Ratchet did not drink.

He remembered what his bondmate had told him when he himself came back a drunken mess.

"Ok go recharge and burn off all the fuel. If you still feel nauseous after two hours comm me. I'll get First Aid ok?"

Ratchet nodded and curled up into a pathetic ball before succumbing to recharge.

Ironhide stroked the slake faceplate and dropped a kiss on his chevron. He made his mental note to get some anti-hangover pills from First Aid after his shift. There was nothing he could do now.

**|•| Somewhere outside the Ark 1200**

/Are you serious?/

/Yeah. Prowler didn't even touch it! Merely subspaced it an said he had already refuelled. Ratchet did though. He was hungry I guessed. Ratchet drank his cube alright. He looked so woozy I wanted to laugh there and then! *smiling emoji*/

/Wow. I can't believe you actually made the Hatchet drunk.../

/But eh he dismissed himself and staggered back to his quarters. But altogether it was a 50% success. Well try again next week. Don't want then to get all suspicious./

/One day bro... Your pranks will go too far and something serious will happen.../

Sunstreaker promptly blocked the bond and concentrated on finishing his patrol ignoring his twin at his side.

**|•| Prowl's office**

"Prowl? Can ah talk ta you about somethin'?"

The tactician turned around and faced the red warrior.

"Knock next time Ironhide. Yes? What is it?"

"About the energon with Jazz, Sideswipe and Ratchet... Well you see I've to tell you..."

**|•| Medbay 1330**

Wheeljack got up with a jerk. His hydraulics started up again as he sat up on the berth. He was in the Medbay. And boy did he feel much better!

"Oh you're awake 'Jack." First Aid scurried up to him and unhooked the wires that was attached to him.

"Ratchet said your energon levels were at 18%. Had to put you on a drip."

No wonder the words on his datapad was blurring. Well it was time to get back to his research.

"Thanks Aid." He stood and stretched his shift joints as he looked around realising that there was somebot missing. "But where tall red and scary?"

The younger medic shrugged.

"I'd commed him and looked everywhere but eh I couldn't find him. I was on my way to find Ironhide..."

"Oh Aid! Just te bot ah wanted tah see."

"Speak of the devil... Hey Hide! Have you seen Ratch?" First Aid spoke out as he switched off the terminal that Wheeljack was previously lying on. Ironhide rested his arm on the doorway, his huge bulk literally taking up the entire exit.

"O'l Ratch came back lumbering into our quarter. He was as drunk as ya could imagine. Even purged twice. Do yeh have any anti-hangover pills fer him? Ah think he'll need it."

At First Aid's puzzled face Ironhide sighed.

"The stupid excuse of a red melee twin and out TIC found some high-grade Primus knows where and gave it to both Prowl and Ratchet."

Ironhide snarled and punched the wall leaving a dent that made the young medic wince inwardly. He knew- High-grade plus Ratchet equals to a recipe for disaster.

"I'll give him something... My mentor's tanks are not the best around here..."

Wheeljack suddenly turned pale as he ran down to his lab.

"Where da devil is he goin'?"

"Beats me... Come bring me to your quarter. I'll see what I can do."

**|•| Brig 1500**

"How long do we have ta stay here in the brig?"

"Two days... I thought you said Prowl was off our backs!"

"How was ah suppose ta know that Red was on surveillance duty at that hour?"

"Phfff you told me you'd it all covered! I just came back from afternoon patrol jeez!"

"Ah hope Ratch's ok... Ah mean how was ah supposed ta know he couldn't digest hig'-grade?"

**|•| Somewhere in the corridors 1530**

Sunstreaker tried not to groan as he headed over to the familiar office to drop off the reports.

He hated doing reports.

Especially on something that he didn't do.

Fine all he did was look out for his brother whist he collected the high-grade. Did that make him an accomplice? Well at least he wasn't in the brig with his obnoxious twin and surprisingly Jazz too. Trying not to snarl, the yellow warrior knocked on the office door.

"Enter."

"Look I didn't even know that they did that ok? I mean this time I swear I wasn't included in this prank."

Prowl nodded. His servos folded on his table.

"I'll let you go this time. It not far that you get punished for what your twin did. But do remember that your brother's prank had went too far. There's a reason why Ratchet doesn't favour energon. His tanks are hypersensitive due to the injury he sustained when he was younger. I'd to give him a three day leave with Ironhide's respectful command. Luckily I didn't intake this high-grade or I'll be flipping my tanks too." Prowl's engines rumbled as his words became sharper and lanced with unusual anger.

"I apologise on behalf of my twin sir: He didn't mean it." Sunstreaker started but the SIC waved him off.

"Just go... I don't want to see you for the next few days."

Well he didn't drink the energon! Sunstreaker grumbled as he got out of the office. What crawled into his tailpipe and died? It wasn't even his goddam fault! With a scowl fixed on his faceplate, he decided to go to Ratchet's quarters to see how he was doing. It was the least he could do.

"Ratch? Ironhide? Can I come in?"

Sunstreaker would never admit but he was slightly worried for his friend. Ratchet was one of the few officers that he respected. Yes he snarled at them. Yes he threw wrenches. Yes he screamed at then to get lost but he knew that deep down The Hatchet cared. That was just how he expressed his concern.

He didn't hear anything. Maybe he was in recharge. Cautiously, the golden warrior opened the door which was unlocked. The first thing that hit his olfactory sensors was the smell of half-processed high-grade. Purged out half-processed high-grade. The room was dark. The room was empty. Nobot in sight. Well with the description that Prowl gave him Ratchet couldn't have gone far. How big was the quarter?

_"Lights at 30%"_

The illuminating lights switched on and at that very moment Sunstreaker heard a small cry and a thud as something fell of the berth. He heard.

Crying?

Wait what?

Without thinking Sunstreaker rushed to the side of the berth.

"Ratchet are you ther-WHA _FRAG_?"

**|•| Science Lab. 1530**

"Primus! Where is it?"

Wheeljack scrambled shoving tools and data sheets aside. It was then where he regretted not clearing his table like what Ratchet told him to. Finally he found his tablet.

"Cybergise: When in contact with mid-grade would result in an opposite reaction... Cybergenerate. Both appear 100% pure under the range of ordinary and basic medical scanners alike. Only the more profound Medical scanners would be successful in differentiating the three different energy substances from the other…"

Wheeljack felt every cog in his body freeze as he realised what had happened.

The high-grade in his dispenser was an addition of both.

Sideswipe had somehow tricked the medic into drinking Cybergenerate.

And that was his last two samples.

This was bad.

This was very very bad.

Screw that- this was a catastrophe!

**|•|Inside/Outside Ironhide and Ratchet's quarters 1535**

"What. Did. You. Do!"

Sunstreaker found himself on the wrong side of Ironhide's wrath as he clawed at the strong servos that had him pinned. What did he just see! What the frag was that! His processors were spinning as Ironhide snarled, optics flashing with apocalyptic anger. Hot spears of pain rushed through his lower thigh as Ironhide slammed his other fist against the soft vulnerable yellow metal. Sunstreak yelped again as he wrestled the yellow warrior to the ground. Using his superior weight he kept him pinned. Metal screeched against metal and energon dripped from the split wound.

"Why in the fragging pits is he like that!"

"H-howw am I suppos-se t-t-to kno- AKK!"

But the young medic was oblivious to the fighting. Slowly, he lowered himself to the ground as low as he could without looking too pitiful crying did not cease. First Aid tried not to glitch as he picked up the little mech on the ground. Little blue optics shone with coolant as little digits held on to his chassis. His small grey chevon scrapped against his neck cables. The white and red paint with the pair of red crosses were a dead give away. There was no doubt about it.

This wailing sparkling in his arms was his mentor.


	2. The second mistake

Prank gone wrong 2

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

**|•| Change of location/POV**

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

Chapter two

**|•| Outside Ironhide and Ratchet's quarters 1555**

"What the _frag_ is going on!"

Ironhide spun around at the sound of Prowl's voice. The rarely used expletive snarled out of the tactician's mouth seemed to have frozen him in his trance. But his servos were still on Sunstreaker's throat blocking off his vital lines. His newly activated Carrier protocols buzzing and online. His EM pulse flatted with agitation, defence. _Attack_!

First Aid widened his optics, trying to figure out a safe path over to them without getting the sparking in his arms injured who had suddenly stopped dripping optic coolant all over his chassis.

"Release him immediately!" Prowl demanded to deaf audios.

A searing pain streaked against Ironhide's side as he fell, convulsing on the ground. Sunstreaker was released from his strangled hold as he slumped onto the ground, both his servos grappling at his throat frantically trying to vent again. First Aid shielded the sparkling as he saw where the shot came from. Prowl stood meters away, unmoving, his snipper riffle smoking. As Sunstreaker leaned heavily against the wall and collapsed, Ironhide's body went limp and First Aid gasped.

"I wouldn't tolerate violence under my watch." The black and white subspaced his riffle.

"Y-you..."

Prowl narrowed his optics at the junior medic.

"Stun. I still keep some of my enforcer weapons in my subspace."

The quiet sparkling screamed in terror as the bond was suddenly silent. Prowl visibly jumped out of his plating and stared at the junior medic. First Aid gulped as the SIC opened his mouth wanting to say something but nothing came out. Ratchet continued to howl and trash in the junior medic's grip as the former Praxian backed away. Confusion, astonishment and surprise reflected in his blue optics.

"Is.. Is that?"

"Ratchet... Somehow he's a sparkling now." First Aid reply curtly.

Prowl blinked once more and promptly glitched on the spot.

First Aid slapped a servo onto his faceplate.

**|•| Along the corridors 1600**

"Out of the way mechs!"

Wheeljack shove passed Slingshot and barrelled into Skydive.

"Sorrysorrysorry!"

The engineer shot like a bullet through the halls.

"Man! What got his circuits up and runnin' like that?" Sky grumbled as his brother pulled him to his peds.

"I wish I knew bro." Slingshot shook his helm.

Wait. What was that? Crying? His sensitive wings appendages heard the muffled sound of somebot screaming as if his life depended on it. Worry creased in his spark as he frowned.

"You heard that Sky?"

His brother's visor flashed as he nodded. Activating their arm cannons, the brothers followed the engineer.

**|•| Still outside Ironhide and Ratchet's quarters 1615**

"We need to calm him down Fraggit! I really don't feel like explaining this to a crowd!"

First Aid bent down beside the unconscious mechs. It was quiet a scene! Red, yellow, black and white all offlined at his ped! What a show it must've been! Unfortunately for them it was only 15 Minutes after 4 where it was the time when the shifts were usually shuffled. Somebody's would start their shifts whist others would end theirs. It was only pure luck he guessed when there was nobot around.

First Aid decided to do as much as he could to stop the minimum amount of energon from leaking out of the yellow warrior's thigh. It wasn't life-threatening but the strut was almost giving way. Partially because he had not been going for medical check-ups and partially because Ironhide really lost it back there. He would have to do something about that defensive Carrier protocol! But Wheeljack took no notice as he begin to hush the red and white CMO turned sparkling

"The bond with Ironhide must be the reason why he's like this! Aid! Get Ironhide up! Somehow..."

First Aid didn't know what to do. How on earth do he turn around the force of the stun blast? But Primus must've been looking down on them as Ironhide's systems begin to power up. The red warrior shook his helm and looked around. Suddenly he sprang up and rushed up to First Aid only for Wheeljack to block him. Immediately the sparkling went silent and sniffed, both his servos grabbing the air as if he wanted Ironhide to carry him. But the red veteran fell back on his aft in shock and vented in pure stupefaction.

"M-mah bondmate! H-he's a s-sparklin'!"

"And he needs you 'Hide. He's attached to you through the bond. It's still Ratchet. It's still your mate. Primus on a stick! Remember that!" First Aid growled out of his normal demur as coolant started to pool in the round blue optics. Full of innocence. Full of hurt. Rejection? The sparkling bit his lower lip component. Why wasn't this mech accepting him?

Like a drone, Ironhide took his bondmate from the medic. His own spark beating as if he was being chased by Decepticons. Pit! It was just a sparkling! His bondmate turned sparkling. Why was he so afraid?

"Hush now Ratch... It's all oka'. Ah'm here."

The sparkling latched himself onto the warrior's collar amour and pressed his audio on the red chassis. Right above Ironhide's spark. The strong rhythmic thumps of his powerful spark seemed to calm the fears of his own tiny one as Ratchet purred and succumbed to a peaceful light recharge.

Ironhide just sat there, stupefied, unknowing what to do next as his both servos were cradling this fragile little body he called Ratchet. He was so... Small and so... Defenceless. First Aid couldn't help but smile at the sight of the normally tough veteran melting into a puddle of tenderness. But it didn't last for long.

"Well... Anybot gonna tell me. What. _In_. _Primus_'. _Godforsaken. Name. Happened. To. Him?"_

The red warrior spat out each word lacing with venom but accompanied by a soft tone, unwilling to awake his beloved. However, his optics were still on fire. Furious infact. His Carrier protocols were all activated and onlined. So were his reflexes which were sharp and on its edge to protect his sparking. The protocol strengthen as he held on firmly to his sparkling. Unwilling to let go of his little sparklet. His Ratchet.

Sunstreaker groaned as he placed a servo on his faceplate. The first sight that came to view as he regained consciousness was a small red and white sparkling nestled in the amour of the mech that nearly strangled him to death.

So it wasn't a nightmare. The Hatchet was a sparkling. Dropping his helm back down so that he was lying flat on his backstrut Sunstreaker tried not to think of how much trouble his brother would be in after he had gotten out of the brig and flat-out decided that he should pretend to remain unconscious.

"I think... I think we need to see Prime don't you all think?" Wheeljack couldn't look at the red warrior in the optic.

"Wheeljack, this is ya responsibility ain't it?" Ironhide snarled in between clenched denta. Agitation getting the better of him.

"Ah'll see Prahm alrigh' but ye coming with me. Aid' git them both to the Medbay." He poked the limp form of the SIC sprawled on the ground and glared at Sunstreaker.

"Sorry rut. Ah got carried away. Ah'm still not used to mah carrier protocols. No hard feelin's yeah?"

The red warrior pushed past the two Aerialbots that just arrived at the scene. Skydive and Slingshot gawked, jaws agape as Ironhide placed a protective servo on Ratchet's slumbering body.

"Long story... Ermm I'll try to sort it out with Prime. I think he'll know what to do right?" The inventor tried to grin sheepishly. The two Aerialbots didn't even know what to do as First Aid shook them out of their stupor.

"Whist you're here could you please help me with these two? I'm not exactly a very strong bot."

Skydive shook his helm wildly as he snatched a look at the retreating warrior and engineer.

"What. The. Frag?"

**|•| Finally in the Medbay 1630**

"Hook Prowl to the energon drip there." First Aid lines the tools out onto the counter and beckoned for Swoop to help. "I swear he's turning into a second Wheeljack! How is he working that battle stimulator on a 23% energy level? I'll get him up an-"

"First Aiddd! They just left me here slaggit!'' Sunstreak's annoyed voice floated into the Medbay and the young medic tried not to bash his helm into the terminal.

"Hold on I'll…"

"Frag all the pits in Kaon Medic! Hurry it up will you!"

Primus! He had HAD it! How on earth did Ratchet deal with his obnoxious patients all the time?! Oh yes the wrench and the bad words.

First Aid swore an oath to Primus that he'll never make fun of his mentor when he used his wrench as a throwing tool again!

"Even a petro-rabbit could be faster than you!"

"PRIMUS I'm COMING SUNSTREAKER!" He couldn't take another moment of that warrior. Turning to Swoop he gave him the intructions he was going to do himself.

"Look just get the energon and transfer it into the drip yeah? You know how to do it? Yes? Great! Okay I need to get Sunstreaker. Those pit-spawn Aerialbots left him outside! I'm going to have a word with Silverbolt after this about some Aerialbots letting go of responsibility… And to seriously shut his trap up!"

"So me Swoop just pour any energon inside?"

"First AIDDDDDD. For the love of me and my battered body could you please come and bring me in please? I don't want to be a burden but my leg's bleeding again!"

"Yesyes Swoop anything. Any fresh energon you find. Hold on yeah? Crazy Sociopath outside is driving me crazy!"

"FIRST AI-"

"SHUT THE FRAG UP SUNSTREAKER!" A rarely used expletive exploded out of the young medic's mouth.

There was silence as Aid stomped to the exit snarling under his vent.

Swoop was left alone as his mentor's assistance ran outside. So he had heard. 'Him Ratchet became a small bot'. Well 'Him Swoop also thought that it was cause of Wheeljack crazy experiement' which he was not wrong. The Dinobot scanned the limp form of the black and white bot infront of him with his basic medical scanner. 'So him Chief Medical Officer is sparkling.' He saw how First Aid was so very stressed. With Ratchet now off the list he had to help out even more with a main medical mech down.

The Pteranodon then went to unsubspace all the objects in the tactician's subspace. That was what Ratchet told him to do all the time when this same bot came in when he crashed. Out came a dozen or so bright blue datapads, two spare training guns, an acid riffle, a stun blaster, some energon snacks (Swoop was surprised that Prowl would actually have some with him) and finally a fully fresh cube of energon.

'Always scan energon before you use them. Don't want any impurities in them would we now?' Ratchet had specifically repeated that over and over to press the importance of pure energon. Well so he did as he was told. It was plain normal energon alright.

With a happy squawk Swoop poured the full cube of energon that he concluded was pure into the drip that was for Prowl.

'Any fresh energon you find.'

That's why him First Aid said wasn't it?

**A/N**

**Wow I never knew how many people would actually enjoy this story. Thank you BlueFeather4299, ss, Fearless Turtle and buslimpan oh and I'm sure I answered your question eh? XD Hope more people would review! It makes my day!**


	3. The chaotic chase starts

Prank gone wrong 3

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

**|•| Change of location.**

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

Chapter three

'Thoughts'

**|•| In Prime's office 1700**

"So you're telling me that now our CMO is a sparkling? Okay... Tell me what happened again Wheeljack?" Optimus leaned over his desk, both his servos interlocked, optics narrowing.

"This isn't a joke is it?"

Frantically Wheeljack shook his helm.

"Somehow Ratchet drank Cybergenerate. It was something I was working on. But the funny thing was that I had two samples of Cybergise not Cybergenerate! And it is logically impossible for it to just alter on its own! Unless somebot poured it into my dispenser of mid-grade which would trigger the change! The diametrical opposite of Cybergise would be Cybergenerate. Where Cybergise increases Processor functions and intelligence Cybergenerate does the opposite. I-"

Optimus' processors started spinning as all the chemical terms erupted in a furry of words. Dipping his helm he placed out a servo to silence his engineer.

"Stop stop. So in other words a mech came into your lab after you went into recharge, mixed the two samples together, took a cube of that Cyber-whatever, gave one to Ratchet, made him drink it and caused him to be a sparkling?"

Wheeljack pressed his servos together.

"Cybergenerate. And exactly. That's exactly what happened."

"So it's your fault."

"Yeah... But I only invented it! Other bots did the rest! I swear! I mean how was I suppose to know that somebot would mix it without me knowing or give it to Ratchet of all bots? Do you see where I'm heading?"

"I've to speak with Red Alert about the tape recordings in your lab then. What time was it? 5.30am huh?" Prime folded his arms around his chassis and leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure there were incidents leading up to this big incident." As Wheeljack gave an internal whoop Optimus narrowed him with a sharp glare.

"But you're not off the hook yet."

"But I wasn't the one who poured the chemically altered energon back! I mean I know you set up a rule that says that but really? Any bot would know that it is illogical to pour it back right?"

The Prime didn't immediately respond as he gazed was distracted by the sparkling that was his former medical officer in his bodyguard's arms. The loud, wrench-throwing, expletive snarling bot. Was actually very cute.

In other words Ratchet was adorable as a sparkling.

"Ironhide... Let me see the spa- erm Ratchet."

The red mech looked uncertain. Was that unwillingness that flashed across his bodyguard's optics? Ironhide stared at his commander for three secs but eventually unhooked the sparkling's digits on his armour to allow Optimus to hold him.

Ratchet scrunched up his optics, opening and closing his tiny fists. He whimpered trying to grab Ironhide back. For a moment there Optimus thought his bodyguard would snatch his bondmate back and snap an obscenity.

"He's afraid of ye mask. He doesn't sense ye Matrix. Give him optic contact Prahm." The red warrior beckoned. He gave his sparkling a reassuring embrace before handing Ratchet over to his commander. Optimus withdrew his battle mask and held optic contact with his medic, well former medic, and gave a rare warm smile. Both his gigantic servos seemed to dwarf the sparkling. Optimus realised how much strength he actually had. He realised how little his CMO was now. A surge of protectiveness washed over him.

Ratchet tipped his helm back so much that it was almost touching his backstrut just to gaze back at him inot his azure blue optics. They said that the optics were the windows to the spark. And sparklings could only obtain the trust of a bot when he had made full optics contact. That did the trick. Ratchet's lip components curved into a wide smile and openly wrapped himself around the broad blue chassis. The sight seemed to awe the Autobot leader as he gently stroked the edges of his former CMO's tiny helm.

"Wow. In my many eons of leading, I've never came across such an invention that does such a thing... Nor have I experienced such a unique event."

Ironhide allowed a ghost of his smile to spread on his faceplate. For a moment Optimus thought he saw the tender loving side of his oldest friend under the layers of red impenetrable amour. But it was gone in a flash.

"What do we do now Prahm? Ah mean... We're down a CMO. What about da cons? Ah don't wanna imagine what they'd do if they know 'bout this... Primus!" Ironhide clenched his fist and it took all his willpower not to slam it on his commander's desk.

"Ironhide... There's nothing I can do right now. I'll have to inform the crew about this. If it's alright with you? I don't want First Aid to be overwhelmed with glitched Autobots because they saw their CMO as a sparkling. I know he's your bondmate. You have all the right to worry. But I'll do everything in my power to ensure that he'll remain safe. You have my word."

The red warrior nodded his helm and actually smiled. He took Ratchet back and carried him in the crook of his left arm.

"Ah'll never admit it but Ratch's kinda cute when he's like that..."

"Well don't let him hear you when he gets back to his normal self."

Wheeljack sat there awkwardly as the two high ranking bots talk quietly as he remained silent observing the both of them. The EM pulses were so strong… so warm that one inexperienced bot with the rest of the Ark crew would have mistaken Ironhide and Optimus Prime for being actual bondmates. But in all reality, he knew that he was the only one that could reverse the effects he had done on his friend. But how? Those two samples were his first two but his last two... To manufacture the exact constituency would be almost down to single digit percentages! He was so deep in thought that he didn't realise that his commander was asking him a question.

"'Jack? Are you alright there? Did you hear what I said?"

His indicators flashed an embarrassed pink as he snapped his attention back.

"N-no sir. I apologies I was thinking of something else."

"You can reverse our CMO back into his old wrench-throwing self right?"

"Ye better!"

Wheeljack's shoulders slumped as he lowered his helm.

He would be blatantly lying if he said that creating another sample and reverting Ratchet back to normal would be easy.

Suddenly, the door of the office was slammed open. Instinctively, Ironhide swung his body around so that his helm was turned around to face the danger but his broad chasiss were wrapped around his precious sparkling still in blissful recharge in his arms. Optimus' battle mask snapped back as his blaster was raised threateningly. In a flash, he had leaped to the side of his desk with one servo shielding his bodyguard. Wheeljack, as jumpy as he was already, fell off his chair in absolute shock, waving his servos frantically for the second time in the evening.

"Hold fire mechs! Cool your transisters! It's only First Aid!"

The Prime lowered his ion blaster and frowned beneath his mask. First Aid's visor flashed unstably. His peds seemed to have buckled at sight of his leader in such a battle stance. The young medic fell back on his aft, servos clutching something very small. Aid tried to talk but a burst of frantic static emerged instead.

"What is the meaning of this! How did you override all my codes to come in here?" Optimus didn't withdrawn his mask but reverted his arm back into a servo.

"I could've shot you straight through the chassis!"

The poor medic was shaking so violently that Wheeljack could hear his amour rattle in fear. He shrank back in absolute terror. Bitting back a internal whimper he unwrapped his servos and exposed his unwanted prize.

Big baby blue optics shone behind a bright red chevron. Tiny, underdeveloped notches stuck out of his wee little backstrut. The pair of to-be doorwings. The black and white sparkling chirred and proceeded to stick his digit into his mouth. Helm tilted upwards trying to absorbed everything that was happening around him. First Aid swallowed an impending doom worth of coolant rising up his throat. Dread increasing within his spark as he was greeted with utter silence.

Utter dumbstruck silence.

Ironhide toppled sideways and crashed non-to gracefully onto the floor. Luckily he twisted to his side in order to shield his sparkling. Unfortunately, his bulk slammed against Optimus' peds which swayed and stumbled into the wall. This awoken Ratchet with a small cry as he got dislodged from his mate. His arm slammed against the light switch and plunged the office into pitch darkness.

Both sparklings exploded into audio-splitting wails.

All hell broke loose.

"Aw lugnuts... Please tell meh it's all ah dream. Somebot pinch meh please!"

"Somebot is stepping on my servo! Primus! Oww!"

"Sorry! That was me!"

Wheeljack's indicators lightened up before becoming black again.

"Wheeljack keep talking." That was Prime. "Find the sparklings!"

"Prahmus! Days like these ah'm glad yeh got yeh indicators 'Jack."

"Ha ha that's very funny Ironhide. Ugh they're running away from me!"

"Ouch! I think you cracked my visor! Owowow somebot is siting on me! Getoff!"

"Sorry Aid. Ah think that's meh."

"Where are the sparklings!" Prime tried unsuccessfully to untangle himself out of the mech pile as the wailing grew louder by the minute. His peds knocked against something. Hard. Oh it was the door. Wells at least it wasn't a sparkling.

"Oh slag! Ok ok Wheeljack keep talking I think I see the switch. There over there!" First Aid spoke out.

"Wait no! That's the exit!" Prime yowled. But Wheeljack had already opened the main office door. Streams of hallway lights entered. The cries became shallower. Suddenly Optimus felt very stupid.

"You all know that I can voice control this entire room right?"

"What?! PRIME!"

"Prahm! C'me on!"

.

.

.

"Ermm First Aid? You there?"

"Forget this! Lights on! LIGHTS ON!"

_'Lights on 100%_' A robotically engaged voice activated.

The lights in the room suddenly went up ablaze and flared up with optic-piercing glaring light.

"Help I think my optics had short-circuited." Wheeljack groaned as he hauled himself off Optimus. Somewhere at the bottom of the pile First Aid managed to get him helm out of the ruckus so he could catch his vent whist the rest of his body was pinned under Ironhide. His helm spun as the heavy mech sat up, squashing the living daylights out of him. Optimus glared at Wheeljack and pushed himself up, muttering a silent expletive under his vent he brushed himself off. There was finally silence.

Wait now it was too silent,

"Where're da Prahmus-damned sparklings! They were just here! 'Jack! Search around fer them!"

Optimus' office was getting crowded with four grown mechs inside. It was hard getting out of the four-mech pile-up but at last they did tangled themselves. First Aid groaned under Ironhide as the red bulk hissed an apology and tried unsuccessfully to scoot away. Gently, Optimus carried the young medic to the corner.

"Tell me. That little black sparkling in your arms earlier? Who was it?"

It was blatantly obvious though. But Prime wanted to still grab onto his last string of hope that his SIC that he relied heavily upon was not that sparkling.

Nope Prowl wasn't the sparkling.

He wasn't.

He couldn't!

First Aid trembled visibly. His cracked visor flashing simultaneously. Almost afraid he would be punished.

"P-p-prime? I s-swear I di-didn't mean-n it! Pr-prowl ju-just..."

All hopes and dreams were instantly shattered. Optimus held back the urge to smash his helm against the wall.

"PRAHM!"

The two helms snapped towards the voice. Ironhide at the entrance waving his arms frantically.

"DA DOOR WAS WIDE _OPEN_! FRAGGIT!"

First Aid slumped foreword in utter defeat. "W-we're s-s-screwed..."

Venting in exasperation with both servos on his helm Optimus realized he was right. 'You know' He thought internally. 'There's just two sparklings that were once called Ratchet and Prowl. Running AWOL around a base. That is filled with trigger-happy bots. With dangerous chemicals aka the Labs. With weapons around every corner. They might give bots spark-attack or glitches and might even get hurt themselves. And Primus knows how long they'll be stuck like this or if they can ever get back into their old forms.'

'Yup.' Prime thought deadpan. As he finally bashed his helm against the wall. Fists clenched in total trepidation and worry.

'There's totally nothing they should be afraid of...'

"Hurry! We need to find the double sparklings before all hell actually break lose!"

Optimus made a mental note to himself. After this was all over he was going to reformat a particular bot into a toaster even before Ratchet gets to him!

A/N

Anyone caught a very ironic part that took place in my story? Ironic indeed!


	4. The chase continues

Prank gone wrong 4

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

|•| Change of location/Change POV

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

~Sound~

Chapter four

A/N Specially done for my fellow readers. Happy Halloween! Chew on the candy whist you read this yeah?

**|•|Rec-room 1845**

"Rumour has it that Wheeljack's invention caused a big uproar outside Ironhide and Ratchet's quarters today in the late morning?" Trailbreaker swirled his evening energon in his cube before downing it in one gulp. Across him were the two brother Praxians. Smokescreen was currently off-shift, waiting for his brother to give him the next assignment.

Somehow he couldn't get to Prowl. Said workaholic bot wasn't in his office which was a huge surprise. Normally it would've taken both Ratchet and Bluestreak to drag his sorry little aft out of that wretched room. Not like Smokescreen cared about his wealfare. Infanct he cared little about him anyways. The last time he caught sight of Prowl was in the morning where Mr stoic was actually in the rec-room Smokescreen had not seen him ever since

"Well Wheeljack plus New invention plus Prime's office especially with Ironhide definitely means business! I mean I didn't eavesdrop on them! Eavesdropping is bad and I know that very well. My morals are always right. But then I was looking for Ratchet to fix up my left doorwing which he promised he would do after his morning energon, but then I couldn't find him and so I went to Ironhide since he is his bondmate and he'll definitely know where Ratchet would be and-"

"Shhh you're rambling again. Do you think there's something to do with the fact that Jazz and Siders are in the brig?" Smokescreen pushed his cube aside and immediately went down to business.

"I've already opened a betting pool. Trail, Blue care to throw in your credits?"

"50 credits that Jazz and Sideswipe were involved." The black mech nodded tossing his credit in. Bluestreak was silent for a while as he seemed to be deep in thought. Finally he spoke.

"50 credits if Prowl was involved in this entire business. I heard Optimus calling Prowl into his office. But he couldn't get through. I mean I know he's Optimus' Second-in-command but he was wasn't with Red Alert as that Lamborghini was fretting about traitors pouring energon into the main dispenser and poisoning our CMO. I know Prowl is awesome and would never do such a thing but this is all just a rumour . It-"

"What? Prowl? Involved?" Smoke slapped the his brother's backstrut as Blue protested. "Bro I think we need to find Ratch and get your doorwing fixed up. Your sensory input's seriously scrambled! That mech has a prank appeal the size of a brick. We know him too well. That half-slagged fragger... And he was the one that threw both red, blue, black and white with visor into the brig!"

Blue hissed and slapped his brother back.

"I'll double my cash on your bet if he was involved. No make that a triple lil Blue."

Trail laughed good-sparkly as he saw the two brothers bicker among themselves.

"I think we gossip too much. I think my processor was too blown today. I think we shouldn't put too much trust in rumours. Are rumours bad? Or gossiping? Maybe both are. Equally I guess. I hope no one heard what I'd actually said. Sometimes I think I don't even know what I'm saying. Maybe we should cut these guesses and actually go to the Medbay. I mean not that I'm doubting myself but my wing is seriously starting to bug me. It's not like Ratchet to be late for a medical check-up right? I don't know what we're going to do without hi-"

"Bluestreak! Please! For Primus' sake and our's! Be silent for a minute slaggit!"

"Sorry Smoke."

"Okok c'me on Trailbreaker we must as well stop by Prowl's office to pick up the tactical reports whist little Blue goes to see The Hatche-"

The gossip session between the two Praxian and the single tactician came to an abrupt halt as their commander marched into the rec-room. By his side was his bodyguard Ironhide and both of them were flanked by First Aid and Wheeljack. If looks could kill Smokescreen was sure Ironhide would've killed them all. His mouth was pressed into a firm grim line. His optics narrowed. He seemed to be... Worried. Which was very unusual. First Aid was practically shivering behind Wheeljack. It was as though he had killed Primus himself and was now quivering in his own shadow. For 'Jack's defense, the engineer was keeping a good emotion behind his mask. A neutral look. What was even more questioning was that these three bots were normally the last bots to accompany Optimus around. Maybe Ironhide would but definitely never First Aid and Wheeljack.

Where was Prowl or Ratchet? Those two were practically his shadow if Optimus left his office or his quarter. Jazz had a habit of following Prowl around but now he was stuck in the brig for spiking Ratchet's drink causing him to have a bad case of a hangover. Smoke mussed to himself as he stood to greet his commander. Prowl must be in his office writing reports and Ratchet recharging in his quarters. No wonder.

"At ease Autobots." Prime's baritone voice rumbled as he waved his servo. The Protectorbots, that had went to a mission in the states had just returned and crashed the rec-room, were calling their youngest brother over. But the medic seemed to be stuck on the spot.

"Autobots. I've something... Different to tell you." He begun looking around. Autobots placed down their drinks and all cocked their helms to face their leader. Bluestreak's optics lit up as he started blabbling.

"Different? Why would it be different? Whatever you said all the time was always different. What type of different do you mean? A weird different? A funny different? A cute different? Maybe an extraordinary different? Or I know! A crazy diff-"

"BLUE! Shut up!" The mechs in the room chorused as Smokescreen shook his helm in exasperation. As the younger Datsun ducked his helm, EM pulse radiating embarrassment, Prime smiled and continued.

"Bluestreak is 100% correct. It is very different. You might not believe me but it regards Ratchet and Prowl..."

**|•| Corridors to the quarters 1915 **

Hound and Mirage were walking down the hallways after their night patrol together. Cliffjumper and Huffer had disdainfully escaped to the rec-room leaving them 'alone to do what you do behind closed doors' Hound wasn't afraid to say it. He was madly in love with his friend. And he knew Mirage reflected his emotion the same way he did. It was now a matter to time on who would confess first. Speaking about his lover. Where did that little Ligier go...

"Mirag-GAHH DONT scare me like that! Almost gave me a spark attack!"The green tracker screeched as he wrapped both his servos around the invisible neck cables. The mech remained invisible as he smiled fondly down at Hound though he knew his lover couldn't see it.

"I simply love your face when you're shocked and even more when you're annoyed."

"Oh you're such a little fragger! I'll show you annoyed!" Hound exclaimed with faked anger as he curled his servos around the masked hips. Mirage groaned as he felt the smart servos caress the sensitive seams between the plates of his hips as he deactivated his electro-disruptor that made him re-visible and swaddled the green servos with his own.

"No touching till we reach the berth Hound. We remain civilized outside."

"Fine fine... But I get to be on top okay?"

Mirage smirked and gave Hound a loving push.

"Yes my mech. You may proceed first of you please."

The pair laughed and strolled to their quarters. At that moment forgetting about this Primus-forsaken war, the million of casualties lost, their destroyed homeland... Hound was in mid-thinking as Mirage abruptly jolted to a halt. The green tracker smacked into his partner. Rubbing his olfactory sensor he peered over the Ligier, Hound bit back a retort as he realized what had halted his lover in his tracks.

Big blue baby optics glowed back at them. Dried coolant streaked down his white cheeks as he raised his servos wanting to be picked up. On his forehelm was a small grey chevon. The sparkling was red and white with familiar crosses on each upper arm. It looked frighteningly like Ratchet. As in right up to the cherry red servos replica. Mirages broke out of his stupor. A smile broke on the green trackers faceplate as his lover picked the sparkling up gently. He met optic-contact and boost his EM pulse with reassurance and love. The sparkling chirped with delight and broke into a fit of giggles as Mirage tickled his hyper-sensitive sides. The former-nobel grinned to Hound as he cradled the sparkling against his shoulder. The little one squeaked as Mirage gently prodded his white peds. The empty corridors were filled with his laugher.

"I think Smokescreen just won 200 credits. I mean I knew Ironhide and Ratchet are bonded but having a sparkling? Now I didn't see that coming!"

"How on earth did he crawl and get lost outside our quarter? 'Hide's and Ratch's are at the other side of this corridor!"

"Sparkling are surprising fast crawlers. Especially when they're frightened. I guess they didn't close their door properly. Eh not like Ratchet to have a sparkling and not tell the entire Ark about it.."

Hound nodded as he gently stroke the tip of the sparkling's helm with the end of his digit. Turning to his partner he queried.

"You seem to know a lot about sparklings Raj'. He got your trust pretty quickly too! How'd you do it?"

"Experience." The blue and white Ligier spoke simply as he proceeded to take out a cleaning rag to dab the coolant stains of the sparkling's cheeks.

"But I think we need to look for Ratchet and Ironhide. I mean they must be worried sick!"

"I saw Ratch in the morning. He was on his way back to his quarter after a bad morning with high-grade. Muttering some nonsense about feeling unwell. I think he took the rest of the day off cause I never saw him after that."

"Yeah... Funny too. It's not like him to just take a day off like that."

"Unless it was to take care of the sparkling! Yeah! I think it's all sorta marking more sense right now."

"Hound. You might have a good point there."

As the two were talking Mirage didn't feel the sparkling in his arms fidget. He squirmed uncomfortably in the former-noble's grip. He chirped and tried the attention of the mech that held him. His faceplate scrunched in frustration as he slammed his fists as hard as he could against the Ligier's chassis. Mirage looked down in alarm.

"Lil' spark? What's the matter?"

The sparkling clawed at Mirage's neck wire. He whimpered something that neither mech could understand. The sparkling tapped his small chassis and pawed at the surface of his lazercore. He could feel worry and anxiety coming from somewhere. But he wasn't coming from himself. Why then could he feel it in his spark? He didn't like it!

"What?" Mirage raised an optic ridge as Hound shrugged. The sparklings sniveling had turned into full-blown cries now. Hound turned to his partner. Antsy flashed in his blue optics.

"Why is he crying Slaggit! What's happening!"

"Don't look at me! Back in the Towers I looked after mechalings not sparklings! Hold up... I think he's hungry. Let's go to the re-"

"LETGO OF HIM 'RAJ!"

Both sets of helms snapped up in horror as a mech stormed io view. Optics blazing, servos clenched, amour flaring, one bot would be blind if they didn't realize that Ironhide was ragging. Literally overflowing with uncontrollable anger.

"I swear on my spark I did. Not. Hurt. Him. I promise you that. I know he's yours. I will return him to you." Mirage took two pedsteps foreward as Hound stood frozen to the spot. He had never seen the veteran mech that pissed before! Ironhide prowled foreward. Like a predator springing to a prey, it took all his willpower not to rip his sparkling from the arms of the blue Autobot.

"Calm down... We'll put him down..." His voice was drowned by the sparkling's cries.

::Hound. Don't make any sudden moves. Ironhide must've activated his Carrier protocols. It reflects the exact temperamental attitude. It makes them hyper-protective and very very defensive if it comes to protecting their sparkling. Come up slowly next to me. And make optic contact. Go Hound.::

The tracker gulped as he took his position next to his lover. The sparkling had quieten down as he saw the red mech. His small vocalizer cooed as he tried to find a way down. Seeing that the ground was way too far for him to jump, he crawled up instead and sat promptly on Mirage's left shoulder, situating directly above the electro-disruptor. Mirage realized as a bolt of horror streaked into his processor. His cloaking mechanism could also be onlined manually.

The sparkling chirped out. Beaming from audio to audio. Mirage sent a silent prayer to Primus that he wouldn't fall down.

"Lil spark. C'me down please. Look Ironhide's here! Your Carrier!" The Ligier tried not frighten him, afraid that Ironhide might see it as a threatening stance. If the sparkling pushed the button in the center of his disruptor he would immediately be cloaked entirely. Of course he could deactivate it but he would need to grab the sparkling that was now balancing precariously on his shoulder. Ironhide's power engines rumbled as an unspoken threat. The sparkling bounced happily on the blue shoulder of the Autobot as he clicked and warbled.

::Hound. Get the sparkling off my shoulder. Slowly...::

::Slowly. Ok got it.::

Very very slowly Hound stretched his servos out. He could see the sparkling's anxiety as he edged closer to the electro-disrupter he was siting on.

_~click~_

'Oh scrap.' Please tell him that wasn't the...

In that second chaos erupted.

The sparkling hit the trigger point on Mirage's shoulder which clocked him entirely. He was still on his invisible shoulder but of course he screamed in terror as he realised he was sitting on thin air. Hound scooped him up before he could fall ten meters down to the ground. The tracker stumbled backwards as he held tightly onto the sparkling who retorted his audio-splitting cries. Mirage reappeared in the split-second but was immediately tackled down by Ironhide.

"Raj'!" Hound screeched as Ironhide begun to pummel him. Mirage snarled and tried to kick the crazed warrior but Ironhide was basically siting on him and pinning his entire body under him. There was little he could do to defend himself against the protective mech. Hound didn't know what to do. He couldn't put the sparkling down for worry that he might be accidentally trampled on but he couldn't stand watching his lover get beaten up for something he didn't do!

There was only one idea that came to his processor. Hound dashed to their quarters as opened the door as wide as it could go. "Stay here please! Don't go anywhere!" He hissed to the sparkling and got up to dash towards the brawl. The little bot coked his helm to the left and stared at the green mech with little blue optics. He didn't understand! Why was he leaving!

He wanted him to come back! The room was so dark! And Ratchet didn't like the dark. But Hound didn't know that. So as a sparkling he did the only thing he could do.

Ironhide froze within mid-punch as he heard the familiar wail. His sparkling was hurt! Shoving the blue battered mech away he stood and advanced to the sound. That green mech! He was the one! Ironhide was blind to everything else. The protocol overwhelming all other codes of conduct. Hound shrank back in fear as he saw the red mech advance to him. From what Ironhide saw it looked as if he was the one that had injured his sparkling. Making him cry like that.

And he was no Carrier but her knew.

Never stand in between Carrier and child.

He turned behind and realised that the sparkling had crawled all the way out and stopped behind his peds. Optics overflowing with coolant. He was trapped. Moving a single inch backwards would most likely cause harm to the sparkling. But move forward and he would probably be trashed by Ironhide.

Ironhide clenched his energon-stained fist and snarled out a single word.

"Get."

Hound immediately, happily obliged.

**|•|**

A/N

And I'll have to stop here sorry! It was getting wayyyy to long. I'll blame Bluestreak for rambling.

I'm sorry for not updating for so long. I've just came back from Vietnam. It's a beautiful place.

Peace out!

~Thedarkestcon


	5. The consequence

Prank gone wrong 5

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

**|•| Change of location/Change POV**

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

Chapter five

**|•| Same location 1930**

Ironhide ran up to the downed sparkling and lifted him gently into his arms. He checked the little one over and realised he was unscathed. Ratchet was safe now. He was okay. He had found him. The glaze over his optics cleared and the protocol died back down.

"Ratch sweetspark! Don't ever do that again got me!"

The sparkling clicked happily and buried his helm into the nook of his neck cables. He suddenly felt energon coating his digits. But Ratchet was unharmed! Cradling him in his right arm he realised that the energon didn't belong to either of them. Turning around he was shocked to see Hound beside a heavily damaged Mirage. The Ligier was struggling to sit up as he placed a servo over his torn stomach plating. As he approached them Hound visibly flinched and placed a protective servo across Mirage's side.

"The sparkling's not hurt I swear! Look you're even holding him yourself! Please don't hurt Raj' anymore..."

_What_?

Then it all came rushing back to him. That blasted Carrier protocol he had activated in Optimus' office a few hours earlier! When he had realised Ratchet was missing he had been accumulating all the worry and terror in his spark. Afraid of the state he would find his sparkling in. After actually finding him after hours of searching, and finding him wailing like that, he had literally erupted with rage. And vented it on the nearest bot that was with the bot holding his sparking. The rest was all a blurr.

Oh frag... His spark clenched with overwhelming guilt as he saw the extent of Mirage's injuries.

He had done that.

"Ironhide! Primus! What the frag?"

He wretched his gaze away from the two as he saw Hot Spot, Blades and First Aid standing a few meters away from him. The leader of the Protectorbots looked down at his younger medical brother and widened his optics.

"Protector instinct huh? You weren't kidding when you said that Aid"

First Aid nodded.

"It's offline for the moment. 'Cause Ratchet's safe now."

Ironhide swallowed a retort. And stepped aside to give way to the young medic as he rushed up to Mirage and begun to patch his plating. He bit his lower lip component and shadowed the medic. Hound gritted his denta and snarled at him when he got too close. Ratchet curled up and turned away fearfully. First Aid bent down to press his servo on the wound to stop the flow of energon from leaking. Ironhide decided it was best to give them at least a five meter radius and backed away.

For minutes they allowed First Aid to work in silence. He injected a strong dosage of anaesthetic, vents hitching at the Ligier's sharp cry of pain. He then proceeded to clip the torn coolant lines and rerouted the ends to the secondary energon packs that Mirage had. Welding a temporary patch over the exposed wiring, could Aid then vent peacefully again. Finally, the junior medic took a cleaning rag out of subspace and gingerly started to clear the drying energon around the patch so as to prevent any available infection from spreading. Mirage winced but felt much better. For a moment it looked as if it was Ratchet standing infront of all of them repairing the former noble. The concentration and the skilful servos that repaired the injured in the blink of the optic was all too familiar to everybot. As First Aid started packing he narrowed his optics behind his visor and began to snap out orders.

"Spot! Comm Prime that we've found Ironhide and Ratchet. Hound escort Ironh- Ok nevermind. Blades! Comm Prime and help me get Mirage to the Medbay. I'm not done with him. Hot Spot get Ironhide back to see him. Hound come with me." The youngest of the Autobots there looked up from his patient. When no bot moved First Aid did something right out of his already unusual demure.

"GET **_MOVING_**! Or Primus help you 'cause I'll get a wrench and knock some _slagging_ _**sense**_ into y'all!"

It was like a second Ratchet talking.

Hound was the first one to move. Practically, he didn't even hear what the medic said he just wanted to get as far away from Ironhide as possible. At least he wasn't going to kill them anymore. But at his first motion, Ironhide's engines hissed and his optics narrowed. Suddenly, a wrench flew out of nowhere and clanged against Ironhide's cranium. Time seemed to stop as Ironhide spun around, one servo on the sparkling's helm the other onto his own to face the owner of the wrench.

It was First Aid.

"Did ye just _throw_ that?" He said in utter disbelieve. First Aid returned the glare and reply tonely.

"Yes. Yes I did."

'Hide snarled, anger overpressing the pain as Ratchet jolted in shock against his shoulder.

"Ah swear to Prahmus… If that wretched thin' touches him…"

"Ironhide. I'll never harm my mentor. Especially in such a vulnerable state..." The junior medic stepped right up to the red warrior till he was olfactory sensor to olfactory sensor with him. The temperature in the area dropped several degrees down as everybot within their radius held their vent to see how this was going to end up. They were either going to have a ranging out-of-controlled warrior and a slagged medibot or…

"…You were suppose to report to me before you went off to find Ratchet! I needed to tweak your Carrier Protocol which you onlined without my permission! It's your first time turning that wretched thing on! It took over your motor controls and your temperamental personality. Look what you did to the absolutely innocent 'Raj! That was for being a _glitch_-helm! "

"But they- "

"_Don't_ interrupt 'Hide! Do you know what you've done? You could've killed him! Hot Spot! Get Ratch and 'Hide to see Prime NOW! Blades! Hound! help me get Mirage to the medbay. Well? What are you half-_glitched_ _**fraggers**_ waiting for?"

Ironhide gawked. Mirage actually collected his energy to laugh as Blades helped him up, a smirk pressed on the copters' facepate. His gentle brother was growing up after all! Hot Spot knew better to argue with his little brother when he was doing nothing more than his duty and went over to comm his superior. Hound stood there. A stupid look reflected in his optics as he stared at the sparkling in Ironhide's arms.

"At first I was going to ask where Ratchet was but I now I'm just praying that my guess is illogical and downright wrong."

Mirage quirked his optic and placed a servo over his newly welded plating. He nodded at his lover's comment but didn't dare to meet Ironhide in the optic.

"Th-that's your sparkling right?"

First Aid could barely hide an exasperated groan as a very un-mechly sound spluttered out of the Ironhide's vocaliser. He squawked out something utterly incoherently opening his mouth, spitting static. Groove fell onto the floor laughing his vocal components out. Though he was partically involved in getting his mentor into a sparkling, the issue of the mechs turning sparklings was actually turning into a very annoying topic of concern. Later he would report to Optimus on the matter of Ironhide's Carrier protocols but now he would leave it. He didn't want anyother crashed Autobot in his medbay even though he had already gotten rid of the pit-spawn Cybergenerate. Two sparklings. Two sparklings and a bunch of crazy Autociding mechs. Their health were all under his responsibility now. How was he going to do this without his mentor!

"It's a very very very long story Hound. And I'm sure Optimus is going to have an emergency meeting about this. Mirage and Hound? You are currently staring at our CMO. Or rather, our former CMO. Yes this sparkling in Ironhide's arms is not his sparkling but his bondmate-Ratchet."

**A/N**

-Boom- Hear that? I think Raj' and Hound had their processors blown lol. Sorry for the shortness. I'd just came back from Vietnam and life has been busy and now I'm going to Taiwan ._.

Please review! It gives me love XD


	6. Past's influence

Prank gone wrong 6

One fine day Sideswipe went too far with his seemingly harmless prank. That practically all you need to know.

**|•| Change of location/Change POV**

"Normal talk"

/Bond talk/

::Comlink::

Chapter six

Rated T for mild violence.

**|•|Same time as Mirage and Hound incident 1915**

"So let me make this straight. Our brother. Prowl. The tall black and scary is a-Sparking." Bluestreak asked and struggled to keep up with the inventor and his older brother as they dashed along the corridors. He wasn't the fittest bot in the Ark.

"As I said!" Wheeljack huffed but did not slow down.

"You'll have to see it to believe it! We have to find Prowl quickly. I don't want to know what trouble he had gotten himself in. Optimus, Groove and Streetwise had gone to the northwing and the control centres on this level. Thank Primus the Labs and Medbay are on the third level. Sparklings are too light to get the elevator's sensors to pick them up. Ironhide, First Aid, Blades and Hotspot had gone to the quarters on this level. So we are going to try to find either sparklings in the southwing."

"Where all the slagging weapons and energon are stored. Fan-fragging-tastic! When this is all over I demand an explanation Wheeljack!" Smokescreen bit back a cuss as he stared daggers into the inventor's backstrut.

Bluestreak heaved and panted as the two older Autobots started spitting curses and obscenities as each other. So what they thought was impossible actually happened. Infact Blue had to reset his audios and reboot his processors to make sure he was hearing and processing the right information. Prowl. And. Ratchet. Was. A. Sparkling.

That were both current AWOL in the base.

Wow.

"You're the slaghelm! I swear to Primus you're spark will be on the line if I find my younger brother in more than a piece!"

"Look there was a tussle in the office and we let our guard down okay? As I said a million times. I'm sorry! I'll accept any punishments y'all put on me okay?"

"That wouldn't be of any use if I find him slagged right! Who will be the tactician of the Autobots? Who will be the SIC?!"

Wheeljack stopped and snarled at the other tactician. Optics glowing with pure anger. How many times must Autobots blame him for everything he did? They were never thankful! No! They always demanded for more. And when he failed it was as if he had made the entire earth explode! So livid was his thoughts that he spluttered something out of his mouth that he would regret forever.

"Do you not even care about Prowl Smokescreen? Are you more worried about his welfare or are you more worried about the welfare of the troops when Prowl is in this state? You were supposed to be his older brother but yet each time he tried to come back and talk to you, not as warriors or different ranked Autobots, as brothers! You would always, always, reject him!"

The deep blue Datsun froze. He stopped dead in his tracks. Something flashed in his optics. But Wheeljack was still ignorant.

"You would always turn him away. You are one of the most well-verse Autobots in this crew yet you can't even look optic to optic with you brother! Smokescreen! Your own younger brother! Where is your spark? They say Prowl's spark is ice cold but I think your spark's colder.. Do you even care?"

Wheeljack stopped short as he realized what he was saying. His optics widened and swallowed the suddenly guilt rising.

Smokescreen had his fist to his side. His back to them. He was trembling. Trembling with uncontrollable rage.

Bluestreak jumped to the side as a whirl of blue pounced onto the ship's engineer. The bond practically erupted fury and Blue was actually considering blocking it.

The anger... It was threatening to strangle him whole.

Smokescreen snapped.

"Take that back Wheeljack! YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Smokescreen slammed his fists onto the shocked Autobot. Wheeljack stumbled back as a vent of air forced out of his tanks.

"I..I didn't mea- OFHH"

He was roughly backhanded a sent sprawling down the aisle. Fresh energon welled up from his split-lip. The blue Datsun collected his strength and pounded the engineer, pinning him down in a helmlock. His knee dug harder into the green and white's backstrut, the other servo wrapped around his neck cables.

"DO NOT compare me to Prowl! He's nothing compared to me!" He spat out the cursed name like it was venom. The strong servos threatened to block out the energon surging up to 'Jack's helm. Wheeljack spluttered and tried to break free for the strangling grip, vocaliser struggling in vain to make out something. Smokescreen let out a raged cry and started to pummel him.

"Smoke! Stop! Please! Let him go. He didn't do anything!" Blue grappled and tried to wrestle his older brother down. The older Datsun flinched at the touch, optics lowering as he immediately released the engineer staggering away. Wheeljack crawled back shakily, a servo on his throat, trying to flush more much-needed air back into his tanks. He ran a servo over his bleeding lip, indicators flashing a frightened blue as he shakily scooted back.

"I-I'm so-orry. I shouldn't ha-have said that..."

Smokescreen lowered his optics into dangerous slits. His engine revved once as he stalked away towards the other side of the hall.

"We're wasting time. Blue, get him up. We need to find Prowl ASAP."

Bluestreak vented in relief as he clambered up to help Wheeljack up. The inventor touched his neck cables gingerly. He didn't follow immediately. His optics reflecting different emotions at the retreating Datsun. Pain, distrust, unknowing.

"What happened Blue? What happened between him and our former SIC?"

Bluestreak just shook his helm.

"Wheeljack. Please don't judge us. We all have a story to tell. Smoke... Went through a lot."

Sometimes it would rather be left unspoken.

**|•| Early Cybertron. 20457D. Alpha-1-789.0**

The fall of Praxus.

"You... _YOU_!"

A deep blue Praxian leap forward and held his brother in a strangling hold. His cold blue optics flashed in the darkness of his broken city. Bodies of dead Praxians littered the floor. Some with limbs intact. Some with no limbs. And some which were just limbs. Metal screeched against metal as the flames scourged buildings reducing it to slag. Crystals, once colorful, once alive, Were now shattered splinters stepped underped.

Decepticons had ravaged Praxus.

There were nothing left.

"Why Prowl. WHY!" He yowled. Venom lacing his words as he pinned him onto the energon-slick ground.

"Why did you let them die!"

The younger Praxian hissed as his black and white doorwings were pinched onto the ground.

"I... I didn't mean it!"

"Shut the frag _up_!"

"I thought they could make it out! Blackcade and Starblaze was just there! So I thought... I thought...I had to choose between the youngling centre and them! Our future depends on then Smokesc-"

He was viciously back-handed on the faceplates before he could finish. Energon was added to the dead streets. The black and white staggered back. Fear etched in his optics as his brother raised his servo to strike him again. The bond between them erupted fury, pain, anguish.

"You killed them Prowl.. You killed them both."

The deep blue mech slammed his fists down and punched him again on the chassis. Using his ped he crushed both his wings against his backstrut. The screech of pain was ignored. The desperate clawing at his ped was unfelt. He only saw fury. He only saw the devastation.

He only saw the mech who caused both his Carrier and Sire's death.

"Smoke... The-y were my cre-creators to-o." The Praxian under his ped rasped, life-blood oozing out of his mouth.

"I...I-only wa-"

Whatever else he wanted to say was choked off as he coughed out drops of unprocessed-energon. The pain threatening to offline him. But that wasn't what he was afraid of.

The mech standing above him was his brother. His very oil and fuel.

His icy blue optics stared into his soul as the older Praxian stepped away. He still had honour. But now he was looking at a stranger. A foreign mech. A mech that he could no longer be connected with.

"Don't you see Prowl?"

He would never forgive him.

The black and white mech on the ground shrieked and clutched at his spark. Waves of rippled hot fire ran through it. He screamed and writhed The bond was snapped.

_Deliberately_.

And then it was silent.

_Forever_.

"Their deaths were in vain."

A/N

Sorry for the long wait. MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!


End file.
